Now and again there is a song or piece of music that makes you smile, feel good or give you goosebumps when just hearing the first few seconds of it. I heard this song on an recent episode of The Good Doctor. I hadn't heard it for a while and it just made me feel so happy.

It is 'This is the Day' by The The which is just a classic song from the early 80's. It was actually released in 1983 but I don't think I discovered this band until around 1986. I used to listen to a lot of their material but this always remains my favourite. I would even put it up there in my top ten favs of all time. 

Some say its a bit of of a melancholy song about missed opportunities and maybe a person's life wasted but when looking at the lyrics I see it as looking at someone who is fed up with their life and wants to change it. The only way to change things is by getting on and doing it in life, only we can change it. 

'This is the day our life, your life will surely change'
'This is the day, when things fall into place'

I find it quite optimistic, when I listen to it I think positively, so for me it's my anthem to pull my socks up and get on with stuff and feel good about  it. I don't know what it is, and maybe there is a song which effects you in the same way but I smile every time I hear it. It may be the slow intro which just sounds nice. I love everything, Matt Johnson's voice, his lyrics have always been memorable. There is another of his songs called 'Uncertain Smile' which has the line........

'Uncertain emotions force an uncertain smile' which they do don't they?

If you are not familiar with The The then take a look on You Tube or grab a listen on iTunes. They are still around today, gosh I sound so ancient and worst of all I'm making these guys ancient too. I say band and guys, Matt Johnson was the main original member of The The but collaborated with some big names such as Jools Holland, Johnny Marr, Marc Almond, Neneh Cherry, Sinead O' Connor, Lloyd Cole and many more. 

So that's one of my favourite tunes......I'm sure I'll mention a few more but for now thank you for allowing me to share this one with you. 

I will be back tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but you all take care.

I can't believe we are coming to the end of another term with Rock Choir and another year. We finish with a lovely tingly twinkly song for Christmas which is Freiheit's 'Keeping the Dream Alive'.

I love this song and although it does fit with Christmas nicely it isn't actually a Christmas song. There are a few songs that don't actually relate to Christmas but have fell onto the regular albums or radio playlists every yuletide. Stay Another Day by East 17 is another one of these songs, although released in November 1994 it wasn't actually about Christmas. Nice bells included on the song and a lovely snowy video helped it appeal to the seasonal market. It stuck as a Christmas song because it did end up as 1994's Christmas number one single.

Freiheit's (real name Münchener Freiheit) one hit wonder here in the UK only hit number 14 in 1988 which I'm surprised about really, I remember it being quite popular at the time. Today though it still manages to make it on the radio every year and is included on many a Christmas compilation album. It is slightly underrated though as quite a few people hadn't heard of it at Rock Choir. I'm a 80's music nut though so it was instantly recognisable to me. 

It is lovely to sing so far, the harmonies are going to sound so beautiful and I'm looking forward to taking part in the forthcoming performances singing this song. I think it's one of those comforting songs, the kind you can pop you're feet up with your brew inside while it's snowing outside and feel the love. Oooooo nice.

So our penultimate week this week, I will be ready to start again in the new year, but like I say we have some performances to do before Christmas so that will keep us going for a while yet. Don't forget if you would also like to try Rock Choir you can come along for a free taster session. The new year is a great time to take the plunge, a new years resolution maybe? Go on give it a go. If you always dreamed of singing but have been a apprehensive of trying then this is perfect. You don't have to audition, just come along and everyone will make you feel so welcome. Just go to www.rockchoir.com find your local session and away you go......we may even bump into each other during a big national event somewhere!

For now though you all take care and I will be back for more chit chat tomorrow with Teapot Tuesday.

Bye for now.......

There is something about strings used on a track, they just project such emotion that I have been known to shed a little tear or go for a complete emotional outburst which I did on Sunday. 

I heard this piece of music on the radio just before the two minutes silence at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday. I had heard it before somewhere but couldn't think where, it was probably because Radio 2 were renown for playing this music at this time every year so that's why it may have seemed familiar. It makes me fill up with emotion and is just the perfect piece for this occasion.

So later in the day I had to get on the mission to find out what this music was called. I thought, well how the heck to I find it now it's only in my head. Well after searching on the internet I found out that you can actually go onto the Radio 2 website and track down songs that were played that day.

In my case I needed Steve Wright's Love Songs programme and then you can search by the hour so I knew it was on at 10.55am and as sure as anything there it was. How clever is that? I did not know that this was available. Usually I get to my digital radio and see the track displayed on it so this is a great facility if you didn't get there in time or a song is still in your head for hours afterwards. 

So what piece of music was causing all this fuss? Well it was Adagio for Strings, Op.11 and I later remembered it was also used in the film Platoon and it has been also used on many public occasions usually during times of mourning. An amazing piece filled with so much emotion, a sad piece of music some may say but for me it was the perfect piece to remember and reflect and that's what I did with my tears flowing. 

The thing was that I didn't have to search for this at all as it was there, already in my playlist of classical tunes tucked away in my itunes, silly me. I have that much music on there it's easy to forget, some I need never be reminded of again but hey that's music. Music does that though it reminds us of good times, slightly tipsy times, times of great sadness and pain but also times of joy. Music enables us to express our feelings either through singing, dancing, laughing and crying so embrace all those genres. 

Try listening to something you wouldn't normally listen to....go on find your inner cowgirl/boy, belt out a bit of opera, have a good cry.....whatever, just use the power of music, it will get you through anything. 

Thanks for reading, join me again tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday but for now.......

​Take care. 

I'm not sure when the right time is to start Christmas, it seems to get earlier every year. We have our Christmas week at Rock Choir tomorrow where we learn our Christmas song and dress up if we feel the urge. It still feels very early though yet.

I think it is something like seven weeks until the big day which isn't long. The Christmas adverts have begun to air on the tv and I have known people to start their Christmas shopping but for me I need to start at least a month before or not until December starts. 

The reason for being early Christmas birds at Rock Choir is that we need to get our song learnt for some performances coming up so we need to be all polished and ready to wow the Christmas crowds when it does get nearer. Our new song is 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' so I'm just trying to picture myself in diva mode tomorrow but dressed as an Elf. I suppose it's along way off Mariah Carey's sexy Santa suit but hey I am doing my best. 

We ran through some old Christmas songs last week and the enthusiasm, well it wasn't there to be honest. I'm still pining for the summer, I want a iced cold cocktail not a hot chocolate or a large gingerbread latter from Costa in a Santa cup (yep they have started). It did feel a bit strange.

I will enter into he spirit and maybe it will jog my inner Rudolph or I will suddenly feel like Santa's little helper.....ting! I will be Christmassy. I just don't want to burn myself out and be totally bored of it by the time it comes around to the 25th. I'll be ready to take my tree down by Boxing Day. Oh bah humbug eh? Let's all be a bit 'Jenny', thats our choir leader, she would do Christmas all year round if she could. She will have her costume on and be ready to party so that's what I'll do too.

Merry Christmas Everyone........oops that's take it steady, some people really are not ready. If you are, pop those tunes on and sing loud and proud. I often think it must be great to own the rights to a Christmas tune. Every year you would just rub your hands and watch the royalties flood in, a good annual income I suppose......I might grab my pen and write a classic, feel they may have all been written though. 

Off I go, wish me luck......you come back tomorrow though as I will have a post for Teapot Tuesday, for now though take care.